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Senior politicians and leaders from the UK cyber industry have given their support to a major new White Paper on the UK’s cyber security workforce, co-authored by a ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Leicester (ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥) expert. 

Cyber Workforce of the Future: Why the UK Needs a Skills Taxonomy Now, produced by the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC), was officially launched at a special event in Westminster this week. 

The event, led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou, EMCSC founder, Co-Chair of the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), and Associate Professor at ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥, brought together leaders from government, industry and academia for a roundtable discussion at Portcullis House. 

Among those attending were Dan Aldridge MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Cyber Innovation, alongside representatives from DSIT, techUK, the UK Cyber Security Council, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), UKC3, and ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥. 

Discussions centred on how to tackle the challenges identified in the White Paper, including workforce fragmentation, a shortage of entry-level roles, limited engagement from larger employers, and capacity pressures within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Delegates also explored how to strengthen professional recognition across the sector, noting that while the UK Cyber Security Council is developing a Professional Register for Cyber Practitioners, greater sector engagement and government support are needed to drive it forward. 

Dr Vasileiou said: “It was encouraging to have an open and honest conversation not just around the issues within the industry but also around barriers to addressing them. 

“Collaboration is key – and to lead that conversation, hearing industry leaders from across sectors agree on a shared route forward, feels like real progress. 

“With the backing of Dan Aldridge MP and the APPG, I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.” 

Dan Aldridge, MP for Weston-super-Mare, said: “We need to embark on a national mission when it comes to cyber security. 

“Threat proliferation is a real issue, and the general public doesn’t always understand the scale of it. 

“This paper, and the discussions we’ve had today, feed into what needs to happen next to bolster cyber security for everyone. There’s an opportunity over the next 12 months to raise the game, get other MPs involved and make cyber security part of the national conversation.” 

Published earlier this year, the White Paper calls for a coordinated national approach to building and recognising cyber skills, including: 

• Establishing a DSIT-led taskforce to co-create a UK Cyber Skills Taxonomy 

• Setting up a national delivery body to oversee its implementation 

• Incentivising employers to adopt skills-based recruitment 

• Aligning education and career pathways with real-world cyber roles 

• Scaling regional initiatives through a National Implementation Framework 

You can read the full White Paper .